Still, Head Coach Sean Payton looked back to the first half after the game and underscored the importance of the Denver defense holding its ground at the goal line in those two stands.
“That was pretty big,” Payton said of the goal-line stands. “When you have that on the 1-yard line, the emotional swing that that creates for your team and what that does to the team [on offense is significant]. They had the penalty then, but that was significant.”
While Payton spoke to the emotional impact on both teams, Hufanga explained the straightforward math behind the impact of holding an opponent to a field goal when a touchdown is close at hand. In each instance, the Broncos limited Houston to a field goal instead of the more likely outcome of a touchdown and saved four points.
“It’s a four-point play,” Hufanga said. “And the offense knows that … when they are down there and they don’t come away with four points, that’s a big deal. For us, I think we held them to five field goals — six [attempted], five made — which is huge. You’re talking about [four] points that it is the difference in the game right now, where we are not kicking the game-winning field goal if they made that.”
By the second half, the Broncos’ defense extended their situational dominance to the entirety of the field.
Denver only allowed the Texans to score three points in seven second-half drives, and Houston recorded a single first down in its final six drives. The Broncos’ defense has posted plenty of staggering stat lines this season, but their third-down performance nearly defies belief: the Texans converted 3-of-17 third-down attempts in the game. With the Texans’ offense neutralized, Bo Nix and the Broncos’ offense scored 11 unanswered points to steal a win on the road.
Payton singled out the Broncos’ success in the trenches as the difference-maker in a game that was decided on its final play.
“If you want to know one thing, we controlled the line of scrimmage,” Payton said. “We felt like there was a big advantage for us in this game, our front vs. their offensive line.”
In a battle of top-five defenses, the Broncos’ unit faced some of its most challenging situations of the season and held firm — stands that helped keep Denver in the game as the offense was finding its footing. While the Texans defense faltered in the final quarter as Bo Nix’s clutch instincts took over, the Denver defense found its stride and played lockdown defense the rest of the way.
“I don’t think anybody really forgot about us,” Cooper said. “… I think we have the best defense in the league. I’m going to keep saying that and keep standing on that week in and week out. We definitely came out and showed some of that today, and what’s crazy is, I think we can be even better.”